High-Elevation Educational Gardens: Introduction to High-Elevation Educational Gardens

• Educational garden: Also know as a school garden or learning garden, an educational garden is any designated space at an educational site or program used for growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, or pollinator plants.
• High elevation: Includes regions at 3,000 feet above sea level or higher.
• Northern Arizona: Includes areas in Apache, Coconino, Gila, Mohave, Navajo, and Yavapai counties.

School gardens have a long history in the United States, with documented examples dating back to the 1800s. In addition to providing opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning, the federal government promoted gardens in the early 20th century to support food production, including wartime gardening efforts during World War I and the Victory Gardens of World War II. Today, educational gardens continue this tradition, offering meaningful opportunities for learning, health, and personal growth.

Author Mary Louise Greene published a foundational text “Among School Gardens” in 1910 that helped shape the school garden movement in the United States. Ms. Greene was an early advocate for school garden-based education, and offered a definition of school gardens that is still relevant today:

"A school garden may be defined as any garden where children are taught to care for flowers, for vegetables, or both, by one who can, while teaching the life history of the plants, and of their friends and enemies, instil [sic] in the children a love for outdoor work and such knowledge of natural forces and their laws as shall develop character and efficiency" (Green, 1910).

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Research indicates that garden-based learning provides a wide range of benefits for students including child health, well-being, academic success, and environmental stewardship. Gardens have long been included as a component of nutrition education programs. School gardens can increase children’s knowledge, attitudes and preferences for fruit and vegetables (Ohly et al., 2016) and increase fruit and vegetable consumption (Berezowitz et al., 2015; Davis et al., 2021; Wells et al., 2023).

Participation in garden-based learning is also linked to increased academic achievement, particularly in science, encouraging diverse learners to see themselves as future scientists (Williams & Dixon, 2013; Klemmer et al., 2005).

Garden-based education also supports language development for English language learners (Stoddart et al., 2002) and encourages collaboration and teamwork among peers (Robinson & Zajicek, 2005).

Gardens allow for regular access to nature which has been associated with greater resilience, increased well-being, reduced stress, and improved social skills among school-aged children (Corraliza et al., 2012; Ly & Vella-Brodrick, 2024). Garden programs can also nurture autonomy and self-efficacy (Williams, 2015) while helping young people develop maturity and responsibility and foster environmental stewardship and a connection to nature (Hung, 2004; Mayer-Smith et al., 2007; Skelly & Zajicek, 1998)

Many publications, websites, and other resources are available to help educators start and maintain school or educational gardens. Most of this information includes general guidance, such as forming a garden committee or support team, planning the type and location of the garden, selecting what to grow, and designating one or more people to coordinate activities and maintenance.

However, some aspects of school gardening are unique to a community, culture, or geographic region. In northern Arizona, high elevation conditions require gardeners to adapt to challenges such as a short growing season, intense sun, cold temperatures, strong winds, dry soils, abundant wildlife seeking food offered by a garden, and reduced air pressure (and therefore lower carbon dioxide levels which reduces photosynthesis, the process plants undergo to make their own “food” to live and grow). Successful school gardens in this region must account for each of these factors.

Part 2: Design and Considerations when Starting a Garden

Though school gardens can be challenging, the benefits can outweigh the challenges. Recent studies show that young people are becoming more disconnected from where their food comes from and many have never had the chance to plant a seed or care for a garden (Hess & Trexler, 2011; Kovar & Ball, 2013).

This article provides in-depth guidance on the unique considerations for establishing and maintaining school gardens at high elevations, with a focus on northern Arizona. It covers key elements such as site planning and design, soil preparation, water-efficient practices like drip irrigation and mulching, crop selection using native or short-season plants, season extension, and protection from sun, wind, and wildlife. By applying these strategies, educators can create productive, resilient garden-

Part 3: Food Safety in School and Educational Gardens

Edible school gardens offer students joyful, hands-on learning from planting seeds, watching them grow, and enjoying the harvest. Consuming fresh produce from the garden is a rewarding experience but requires careful planning and safe practices at every stage.

This article outlines key food-safety practices and policies to incorporate from the initial design of a garden through planting, maintenance, harvest, and preparing produce for students and staff consumption. Food safety is an essential, often overlooked, component of edible garden programs. Considerations must begin during the initial planning phase, as soil quality, fertilizer use, water sources, and surrounding environmental conditions all influence the safety of garden produce. A resource list is included with more information, requirements and steps for ensuring a safe edible garden.

Part 4: Curricula for Educational Gardening

School gardens have become powerful tools for teaching and learning across grade levels. They create hands-on opportunities for students to connect with science, health, and environmental studies while also supporting social-emotional growth and community engagement.

This article in the series focuses on practical ways to integrate gardening into classroom lessons and highlights curricula successfully used by Cooperative Extension programming across northern Arizona. The selected curricula and resources are listed by grade level and include a brief description and what is included. Both new and experienced educators can use these curricula to make meaningful connections between classroom learning and hands-on garden experiences.

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Berezowitz, C. K., Bontrager Yoder, A. B., & Schoeller, D. A. (2015). School Gardens Enhance Academic Performance and Dietary Outcomes in Children. Journal of School Health, 85(8), 508–518. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12278

Corraliza, J. A., Collado, S., & Bethelmy, L. (2012). Nature as a Moderator of Stress in Urban Children. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 38, 253–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.03.347

Davis, J. N., Pérez, A., Asigbee, F. M., Landry, M. J., Vandyousefi, S., Ghaddar, R., Hoover, A., Jeans, M., Nikah, K., Fischer, B., Pont, S. J., Richards, D., Hoelscher, D. M., & Van Den Berg, A. E. (2021). School-based gardening, cooking and nutrition intervention increased vegetable intake but did not reduce BMI: Texas sprouts - a cluster randomized controlled trial. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-01087-x

Green, M. L. (1910). Among school gardens. New York: Charities publication committee.

Hess, A. J., & Trexler, C. J. (2011). A Qualitative Study of Agricultural Literacy in Urban Youth: What Do Elementary Students Understand about the Agri–food System? Journal of Agricultural Education, 52(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2011.04001

Hung, Y. (2004). East New York Farms: Youth Participation in Community Development and Urban Agriculture. Children, Youth and Environments, 14(1), 56–85. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.14.1.0056

Klemmer, C. D., Waliczek, T. M., & Zajicek, J. M. (2005). Growing Minds: The Effect of a School Gardening Program on the Science Achievement of Elementary Students. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH.15.3.0448

Kovar, K., & Ball, A. (2013). Two Decades of Agricultural Literacy Research: A Synthesis of the Literature. Journal of Agricultural Education, 54(1), 167–178. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2013.01167

Ly, V., & Vella-Brodrick, D. A. (2024). Effects of school-led greenspace interventions on mental, physical and social wellbeing in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Educational Psychology Review, 36(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09963-1

Mayer-Smith, J., Bartosh, O., & Peterat, L. (2007). Teaming Children and Elders to Grow Food and Environmental Consciousness. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 6(1), 77–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/15330150701319529

Ohly, H., Gentry, S., Wigglesworth, R., Bethel, A., Lovell, R., & Garside, R. (2016). A systematic review of the health and well-being impacts of school gardening: Synthesis of quantitative and qualitative evidence. BMC Public Health, 16, 286. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-2941-0

Robinson, C. W., & Zajicek, J. M. (2005). Growing minds: The effects of a one-year school garden program on six constructs of life skills of elementary school children. HortTechnology, 15(3), 453–457. https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/122535/records/65dfcf6f63b818…

Skelly, S. M., & Zajicek, J. M. (1998). The Effect of an Interdisciplinary Garden Program on the Environmental Attitudes of Elementary School Students. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH.8.4.579

Stoddart, T., Pinal, A., Latzke, M., & Canaday, D. (2002). Integrating inquiry science and language development for English language learners. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(8), 664–687. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.10040

Wells, N. M., Todd, L. E., Henderson, C. R., Myers, B. M., Barale, K., Gaolach, B., Ferenz, G., Aitken, M., Hendrix, L., Taylor, C., & Wilkins, J. L. (2023). The effects of school gardens on fruit and vegetable consumption at school: A randomized controlled trial with low-income elementary schools in four U.S. states. Preventive Medicine Reports, 31, 102053. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102053

Williams, D. R. (2015). Regenerative Hope: Pedagogy of Action and Agency in the Learning Gardens. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Regenerative-Hope%3A-Pedagogy-of-…

Williams, D. R., & Dixon, P. S. (2013). Impact of Garden-Based Learning on Academic Outcomes in Schools: Synthesis of Research Between 1990 and 2010. Review of Educational Research, 83(2), 211–235. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654313475824